“It Just Made Sense”
About 30 minutes northwest of Indianapolis, Indiana, is the town of Brownsburg, where Cornerstone Christian Church is located. That is where Ben Radant has been the Children’s Minister since 2011. It is also where he directed an Upward Sports program for the first time, but Ben was no stranger to sports, especially not soccer, which happened to be the program the church was running.
Ben says sports have always been a big part of his life. He even has a soccer background, playing both when he was young and at Kentucky Christian University. Despite having a strong faith and sports background, he admits it took some time for him to connect the two.
“It took a long time for me to marry the idea of my faith with sport. Once I made that connection, it just made sense, and it was a part of who I am, as it should have been all along. I get to bring that into the world of Upward as we do soccer here at Cornerstone.”
“Let’s Just Try It”
One thing that makes the Upward Soccer League at Cornerstone Christian Church unique is the age divisions offered. In addition to opening their league for ages K4 through sixth grade, they also offer a separate league for three-year-olds. Brownsburg is a big sports town with plenty of travel leagues available for older children, but after hearing of some other leagues that have tried to offer that age group before, Ben said, “Let’s just try it.”
Though they have offered soccer for older children for over a decade, 2023 was the first year they opened the program for three-year-olds for what they have named their Stars League. Traditionally, an Upward Sports League team practices for one hour during the week and plays for one hour on Saturday. However, things looked a little different for the younger children the first year, with the teams meeting only on Saturday for one hour, half the time for practice and half the time for a scrimmage.
Ben admits that the first year was a learning experience, and he used the lessons learned throughout that first season to adjust some things for their three-year-old Stars League in 2024. He recognized that this was a unique opportunity to offer these young players something beyond soccer. Ben reshaped the one hour on Saturday to offer more of a “soccer experience.”
“We have a chance to do some soccer, but there are motor skills we can explore, there are dynamics of sharing, relationship building, social building, things that were really important,” Ben shared.
For the first four weeks of practice, the three-year-old players spend the one hour of practice time with their team, learning and growing together. Ben notes that these coaches are free to shape that time with their team while being provided enough tools to run with it. In the season’s final four weeks, the teams will have a 30-minute practice followed by a 30-minute scrimmage.
The league for three-year-olds has been well-received and has grown in just one year. About fourteen kids participated in the 2023 season; during the 2024 season, that number grew to twenty-two players. Although having a league for such a young age can sometimes be challenging, Ben says, “I’m just glad they’re here.”
He notes that they have had a lot of overall success with families who start their kids in their program at a young age and stick with it for many years. Some families have even started ordering jerseys for themselves to help cheer on their kids who are on the soccer field.
Growing Community
Hanging in his office is a backdrop of shining lights on a soccer field. Here, Ben records a “Coach Huddle” video once a week. These five-minute segments are meant to be informational while incorporating the idea of sports, life, and truth.
Ben explains, “The Idea of not having those things segmented, that those things run together because that’s how God desires us to be. Our faith should incorporate all areas of our life, including sports.”
Through these interactions, Ben can help his coaches grow and, in turn, give them the tools to help the players grow in faith. One way he equips his coaches to do that is with a “Highlight Drill.” With this, he takes the virtue from their Upward Devotion for the week and expands on it with an object lesson incorporating the virtue with soccer. Talking about the most recent virtue covered, discipline, Ben explains that the player can connect those two things and see that it is an “actual, practical thing that is incorporated in life and sport. It takes discipline to follow Jesus.”
He also makes it a point to seek out his soccer coaches and build relationships with them. During practices and games, he will walk around and see how they’re doing while making himself available if they need anything. His league has at least forty coaches, but he says it is all about being intentional.
“Being intentional about relationships is what I think keeps families here, which keeps coaches here, and it only improves the program, but more importantly, being able to have good conversations about faith.”
Overall, sports ministry is more than just Saturday morning sports. Rather, it is growing the community in many ways, and Ben Radant would urge people looking into sports ministry for the first time to “find out their why.”
“If you’re looking for increased attendance on a Sunday morning, this is not necessarily the road to go. What this will do for sports ministry is it will build community. Will you get some people coming in the door? Yeah, but that shouldn’t be the why.”
Sports ministry is an opportunity for churches to grow community. For those who may be considering a sports ministry at their church, Ben stressed the importance for churches to connect what they are doing in every ministry, including their sports ministry, with their core mission value.
“To be able to talk about things in the same language, to be able to have ministries that are pulling in the same direction is very important,” Ben says, adding, “If you’re doing it in competition with those things, then I think you’re going to fight an uphill battle every step of the way.”
Written by Corrina Ramirez.
